Thailand wants to host Asia-EU leaders meeting

Thailand wants to host Asia-EU leaders meeting

SINGAPORE (AFP): Thai Foreign Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
yesterday offered to host a summit of Asian and European leaders
in 1995 to tear down trade barriers.

Thaksin said he had discussed the initiative with his
Singapore counterpart Shanmugam Jayakumar including the
possibility of holding the meeting immediately after a summit of
ASEAN leaders in Thailand in December.

"I support the idea but we have to work out details with other
countries. I just learnt from Jayakumar that December might not
be good timing because the European Union (EU) has its own
meetings," he told a news conference.

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong first floated the idea
for an East Asian-EU summit during a visit to France last October
when he met President Francois Mitterand Prime Minister Edouard
Balladur.

Singapore and other East Asian officials say there is a need
for the two regions to match expanding ties between East Asia and
North America built around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum.

European and Asian businessmen issued a similar call for the
two regions to forge closer economic and political links at a
conference here a few days before Goh's visit to France.

Expansion

Thaksin said the original plan had been expanded to include
all Asian countries willing to participate, not just East Asia's
booming economies.

"I don't know if we have enough time to find out what other
countries think and how many countries will join (the summit)
especially countries that are not ASEAN members," he said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, formed 28 years
ago, groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand. Vietnam is expected to be formally
admitted to the group this year.

Thaksin said he was unsure whether the Thailand would offer to
host the summit if the meeting could not be held in December.

But Thailand would remain committed to the idea of closer ties
between Asia and the EU and not just between East Asia and
America, he said.

"This is especially important for Thailand because the EU is
an important market place for our agricultural products," Thaksin
said.

Regional diplomats say Singapore began consulting Asian
leaders on its initiative at the APEC summit in Jakarta in
November.

France which took over the presidency of the EU this month is
expected to soon begin sounding opinion of the group's 15 members
on the plan, a Thai diplomat said.

Thaksin, a millionaire businessman who was appointed foreign
minister in October, flew to Jakarta yesterday before returning
to Singapore for a two-day private visit over the weekend.